Crates for packaging ammunition



E. L. ACKERMANN ETAL 2,835,381

cRATEs FOR PACKAGING AMMUNITION May 20, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June29, 1954 l Invent nrs,

Ecfw ard L.A\:Kevmar1 Gemge H Emck May 20, 1958 E. L. ACKERMANN E-r AL2,835,381

CRATES FOR PACKAGING AMMUNITION Filed June 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2CRTES FDR PACKAGING AMMUNITION Application .lune 2.9, 1954, Serial No.440,302

4 Claims. (El. 20o-65) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec.266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by orfor the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment of anyroyalty thereon.

The present invention relates to wooden shipping packages forprojectiles, shells and other similar articles.

Primary considerations involved in the conception and design of ashipping container or package are that the package must be simple inconstruction, -sturdy enough to support the load to Ibe shipped therein,as light as possible `Wit-hin the design limits of the load to becrated, easy to assemble and economical. For an optimum design ofpacking crate it is deemed advisable to incorporate into the structuredetail-s or elements which, for a predetermined load, achieve maximumstrength, a decrease in weight of crate as compared with total weight of-crate and contents, a decrease in the volume of warehouse and shippingspace occupied by the assembled crate, and a -decrease in the totalamount of lumber used to construct the crate. Itis also important thatthe package "be constructed so that the articles to be shipped can besecurely and compactly packed and secured, and easily and quicklyremoved. Another desirable feature is the ready disassembly lof thepackage in a manner to permit the re-use of the component parts of thecrate or package.

Crates now in use are merely containers and aside from close fittingdimensions, often require the use of iiller materials to assurecompactne-ss and to prevent shifting of the load. Some of the morecommon filler material-s utilized are paper, cardboard, iiber board,excelsior, and supports made yof the same material or of wood, thefiller materials being so arranged in the crate to take up the slackoccasioned -by the 'loose lit of the material or load to be carriedand/or protected.

Wire strapping and steel tension bands are also used in these prior artpackages to bind the entire crate after the load has been secured inplace rby the usual filler material. If the wire strapping has not beencarefully selected to accommodate lthe strain introduced by stretchingand drawing of the strap or Wire, the yield point and/ or `tensilestrength of the band may be exceeded with the yresult that the tie may'loosen or the band may break under rough handling. So als'o, themoisture -content of the lumber may have a lbearing lon the ability ofthe tie vthe lumber making up the crate rnust be carefully considered`and controlled. lf the side pieces or longitudinal slats connecting thecrate ends are made tof-resilient material, and if the load usuallyencased in liber or cardboard containers is so arranged in the crate asto be supported by `and between the ends thereof, the strap may be drawnsnciently taut to bow or bend -the slats concaveatent() ICC ly inwardlyso that their center portions engage a part of the 'liber container.This results in an anchoring ofthe load Within the box to preventshifting, and additionally transfers pressures Ifrom the box ends to theload ends with the result that advantage is taken of the columnarstrength of the load or material to be shipped thereby enabling thepacked crate to better withstand stresses caused by knocking about,dropping and other rough handling. In view of the care with which theband is selected and the moisture content of the lumber in the crate iscontrolled, expansion or swelling of the resilient sides caused bymoisture absorption will merely add to the effect produced by thetransfer of stresses to the load within the crate, hence morecompactness of load and strength of crate is achieved. iln addition thebowed or inwardly concaved slats act as leaf springs to absorb strainsoccasioned by dropping and rough handling while the packaged crate is intransit.

An additional safety factor which may be introduced to insure againstrough handling and to provide additional protection for the load is tomake the packing crate of ytwo half crates allochirally mated in themanner Iof the well known cardboard egg box. This latter constructionprovides several distinct advantages. The half crates may bemanufactured at one location, forwarded `separately to a packing depot,loaded and tied by means of the one band encircling the crateintermediate the ends, it being understood that the longitudinal slatsare springy or resilient and will bend inwardly as previously discussed.The -tinal assembly is achieved Without any nailing or hinge settingsince the tie wire is depended upon to hold the halves and the loadtogether. When the crate is dropped on one end or corner, the strain istransferred `to the wire or strapping vbut not to the other half in viewof the tendency ofthe halves to slide with respect to one another. Thisis important since oneof the greatest sources of failure of prior artcrates is due to cracking or breaking of the end pieces. Additionally,facility in loading and unloading is achieved 'and reuse of the crate ispossible since only the strapping wire is destroyed to unload thecontents .of the crate.

Accordingly, a primary need compelling the inception of this inventionis the provision of a wooden `packing crate for loading and shippingprojectiles, shells or the like, which is stronger for a comparableweight of crate, of less weight and volume for a predetermined size ofload, and containing less lumber to accommodate the predetermined load,than prior art containers or crates.

In the direction last named, the invention envisages a wooden cratewhich provides for an interdependence and.

mutual structural cooperation of three important factors contributingtoward an increase in strength in the make up of the loaded crate to beshipped, namely (l) the outer wooden structure or crate, (2) theexterior strapping, and (3) the load or material to be crated orshipped.

It is a further aim `to assure the before mentioned increase in strengthfor a lighter weight container, by supporting the load to be cratedbetween two opposed ends of relatively heavy timber reinforced bythinner springy or resilient side pieces or wood slats connecting theends, and which in turn are bowed inwardly to press against the outersides of the load encased in liber containers by a tensioned bandtransversely encompassing the crate intermediate the ends thereof,wherefor the stresses in the crate are partially transferred to thematerial crated.

In this connection yet another object of this invention is to provide awoo-den shipping crate or package which is compact and sturdy towithstand rough usage in transit, yet which may be constructed oflighter materials because of the structural cooperation between load,crate and -tensioned band, the entirestructure resulting in a cratewhichis-capableof ready assembly and wherein the load can be 3 securely andcompactly packed and unpacked with equal facility.

Still another though secondary achievement sought is a shipping cratewhich may be .easily assembled to securely and compactly load thevmaterial -to be shipped, and which may be disassembled with equalfacility to permit reuse of the crate if desired.

With the above and other objects in view which will become apparent asthe following specication develops, reference is made to the drawingforming a part of the specification and wherein,

Figure l is a rear perspective view of the assembled crate fully loaded,

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the loaded crate,

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 3 3 of Figure `2,

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4 4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a rear view of a crate in perspective and showing amodification,

Figure 6 is a modification in perspective view of a crate composed oftwo equally divided halves and with transverse slats.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a manner of stacking the crates ofFigure 6.

Figure 8 is another modification according to Figure 6 and showinglongitudinalV slats.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate Yyet another modification in whichlongitudinal slats are dovetailed into the opposed crate ends.

Referring again to the drawing wherein the same numerals have been usedto designate like or similar parts in the several views and particularlyto the modification illustrated in Figures 1-4r eference character 1designates a wood crate generally, comprising end walls 2 and- 3 ofcomparatively heavy wood stock, and side walls or slats 4 and 5 ofthinner resilient or springy wood composition fastened to the ends 2 and3 as by nails, screws etc.

The inner faces 6 and 7 of ends 2 and 3 are machined to provide aplurality of circular or cylindrical cavities or wells 8 each mergingwith parallel slots or recesses 9 of equal depth as cavities 8, andhaving a length equal to the diameter of cavities 8 and extending to therear edge 10 of its respective end 2 or 3. The cavities 8 and recesses 9are arranged to provide easy placement of a container` to be shipped,the only requirement being that each well 8 in one of the opposed endsbe allochirally mated with a corresponding well in the other end so thata shipped article may be received therein and supported by the opposedends of the crate. In the illustrations shown the articles to be shippedare cylindrical containers 11 extending between the opposed ends 2 and 3and adapt ed to contain a shell or projectile (not shown) it being animportant consideration to note that the outer vertical faces 12, 13 ofthe containers 11 adjacent a side wall 4 or 5 be spaced slightly fromthe inner face Aof its respective wall for a reason to be laterexplained. It is to be understood that other shapes of containers mayalso be used such as square, rectangular, triangular etc., with theshape of well 8 being altered to correspond with the outer configurationof the container to be packed and shipped.

The forward and rear edges of each side wall 4 and 5' intermediatetheends 2 and 3 are provided with notches or slots 14 for receiving atransverse encircling strapping wire or tensioned band 15. The wire isdrawn tight as at 16 in any convenient manner to an extent such that theside walls 4 and 5 bow or bend inwardly concavewise until the innerfaces thereof abut the center portions of surfaces 12 and 13 of thecontainers, wherefor a pressure is exerted against the contents of thecrate to materially reduce the tendency of the'load to longitudinal,transverse or fore and aft shifting within the crate. The stripping wirewhen pulled taut has a two fold effect in addition to anchoring theload. First the bowing of the sides decreases the inside length of thecrate between the end pieces and transfers stresses to the end pieces ofthe containers 11 thereby taking advantage of the columnar strength ofthe load. Additionally the center portions of the bowed sides arepressed tightly against the opposed vertical surfaces of the two endliber containers thereby greatly adding to the strength of the crate,and enabling the concave sides to act as leaf springs to absorblongitudinal as well as transverse blows directed thereagainst.

In order to further strengthen the crate the rear edges of side walls 4and 5 are notched adjacent the ends 2 and 3, as at 17, to receive crosswise or transverse slats 13, 19 which are secured to the side walls andends as by nails or screws as clearly seen in Figure 1.

Figure 5 delineates a modification in which the top end 2 is providedalong the edges to be joined to side wall 4 (5 not shown) with aplurality of equally spaced tenons 20 to be received in correspondingmortises 21 formed in the top edges of side walls 4 and 5. In thismodiication the upper transverse slat 18, which is secured in place withwood screws after the strapping wire is drawn taut, may be disconnectedfrom the top end 2 by removing the screws, thereby providing for readyremoval of the end to enable one to gain ready access to the cratecontents without further dismantling, after which the crate may bereloaded and reused, if desired.

In the modification illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, crate 1 is dividedinto matching half crates 22, 23, each half crate comprising 'opposedcomparatively heavy ends 2, 3 joined by side slats 4a, 5a which arespringy and resilient thin slats as aforesaid.

The vertical edges of side walls 4a, 5a are provided with transverseslots or notches 14 to receive a tensioned band 15 drawn tight as at 16to bend the side slats inwardly concavewise. In the same manner as inthe species of Figure 1, ber containers (not shown) are packed in sideby side relation to extend between the ends 2, 3 and after the tensionedband is tightened, transverse upper and lower slats 18 and 19 are nailedor secured in any convenient manner across the bottom and top edges ofthe crate. As clearly seen in Figure 7, the opposed slats 18 and 19 areprovided with a lateral spacing'such that when a plurality of packedcrates are stowed one upon the other, each upper crate is reversed withrespect to its subjacent one such that in stowing, a stowage space equalto one thickness only of slats 18 or 19 is lost. Similarly as in themodifications of Figure l, when the tensioned band 1S is tightened, allthe ends 2 and 3 are drawn closer together so that they appear againstthe iiat ends of the fiber containers, and the sides are drawn in tobear against the vertical faces of the fiber containers, wherefor thecrate is strengthened by the transfer of stresses to the fibercontainers.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 8 the crate is constructedsimilarly as the crate in Figure 6 with the exception that longitudinalslats 24 parallel to the slatted side walls replace the transverse slats18 and 19. The tensioned band or Wire 15 encircles the side walls aswell as the slats 24, so that all the longitudinal members are bowedinwardly to engage a corresponding vvertical wall of a packed libercontainer (not shown). This particular crate is not as adaptable as thecrate of Figure 6 for stowing purposes, especially since a storage spaceequivalent to two thicknesses of slats is lost between each pair ofcrates placed one upon the other.

Figures 9 and l0 represent yet another modification featuring a crate 1composed of allochirally mated half crates 22, 23 in which the opposedends 2 and 3 are provided with truncated corners 25 to receivetriangular longitudinal support members or slats 26 so that the baseAthereof abuts the truncated corner 2S and the remaining two sidescomplete the rectangle formed by each end 2 4and 3. The opposed ends 2and 3 are also provided in with the plane 'through the vertical edge ofeach corresponding end 2 and 3 to present a flush vertical surface. Thecrate is again encircled by the previously described transversetensioned band received in slots 14 of each corner slat 26, drawn tightas at 16 to again take advantage of the columnar strength and support ofiiber containers 11 received in the crate. in the `illustration shownthe crate is intended to accommodate two liber containers with the innerat vertical faces of slats 26 and 2@ arranged to form a cradle to abutthe vertical sides of the container received therein. In View of thegreater thickness of the support members 26 and 28 it is apparent that astronger tensioned band is necessary to place the entire crate understress to transfer a part of strain to the iiber containers. It is alsoapparent that the overall volume and especially the depth of this crateis smaller for the same diameter fiber container, than the other cratesillustrated.

With the above description there has been disclosed a plurality ofcrates incorporating the sarne essential design features, and varyingonly in details within the purview and scope of the basi-c design. Eachcrate illustrated represents a structure which results in a tremendoussaving of weight, space and amount of Lumher used as compared with thepacked weight of a comparable crate for packing the same weight and sizeof load, or .packed goods, while at the same time providing a cratewhich is stronger to withstand rough handling and usage, dropping andknocking about in transit.

Additionally the invention contemplates the use of additional transversetensioned bands, for example one cach adjacent the ends of the packingcrate after the center band has been drawn tight, and other longitudinalstraps, to increase materially the strength of the crate and to insuresecurcness of the packed crate, and to emphasize the characteristicsenvisioned and described above. p

Numerous other modilications and alteration of the disclosed andillustrated structure will be apparent to a person skilled in the art,and it is obvious that the same may be made without departing from thespirit and scope o the invention as delined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In combination with a packing crate having end walls and resilientside walls, a load supported by and extending between said end walls,said load comprising a plurality of parallel elongated containersarranged in side by side relation between said side walls, there being anarrow space provided between the vertical face of an end container andits corresponding side wall, a tensioned band encircling said crate andsaid load intermediate said end walls, said tensioned band being drawntight to force said end walls into intimate engagement with the ends ofsaid containers and said side Walls into abutting en gagement with thevertical walls of said end containers in the vicinity of said tensionedband.

2. A shipping crate comprising a pair of rectangular box ends, aplurality of oppositely disposed resilient slats secured to the verticaledges of said box ends to form said crate, a plurality of elongatedfiber containers re-.

ceived in said crate in side by side relation, each of said containershaving opposed ends disposed in abutting engagement with the innersurfaces of said box ends, and a tensioned band transversely encirclingsaid crate intermediate said box ends, said tensioned band being tightlydrawn to force said box ends into intimate engagement with the ends ofsaid liber containers and said side walls into abutting engagement withan adjacent parallel surface of said fiber containers.

3. A shipping crate comprising opposed rectangular box ends havingtruncated corners, a rst plurality of resilient triangular slats securedto each opposed pair of corners of said box ends and completing therectangular conformation of each box end, each of said box ends havingtriangular notches formed centrally in one pair of opposed edges, asecond plurality of resilient triangular slats received in said notchesand secured to said box ends, the bases of said first plurality of slatsforming With the confronting faces of said second plurality of slats areceptacle, a container snugly received in each receptacle and extendingbetween said box ends, and a tensioned band encircling said crateintermediate said box ends, said tensioned band being tightly drawn tobend said resilient slats inwardly into abutting engagement with thesides of said containers, and to force said box ends into intimateengagement with the ends of said containers.

4. The crate of claim 3, said crate being formed of two allochirallymated half crates secured together by said tensioned band.

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